In many medical situations it is important to maintain a clear breathing passageway such that oxygen is continuously supplied to the brain. Maintenance of the clear passageway is often achieved through the placement of an endotracheal tube into the trachea such that an uninterrupted passageway exists between the patient's lungs and the oxygen environment. To facilitate insertion of an endotracheal tube, a doctor, paramedic or other medical professional will often rely on a laryngoscope blade which is inserted down the patient's throat and helps the treating person properly position the endotracheal tube.
Even with the help of the laryngoscope blade, however, it is often still difficult to properly insert the endotracheal tube due to vomit, oral secretions and blood blocking the inserter's vision. In an effort to overcome this problem, medical personnel often first insert suction tubes prior to insertion of the endotracheal tube. This additional insertion of a suction tube increases the time involved in the proper placement of the endotracheal tube. This added time presents a serious health risk as often the insertion of the tube within the minimum time possible is desirable to avoid anoxia. Moreover, even when the suction tube is first inserted, it is possible for the vision blocking fluids and debris to return between the time of suction tube removal and endotracheal tube insertion.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,257,620 describes an apparatus and method for endotracheal tube intubation which features an endotracheal tube with a suction stylet telescopically disposed therein and releasably fixed to the endotracheal tube. This tube is connected to a suction source such that when the suction source is operating fluid is drawn up continuously into the open end of the stylet. Thus, suction forces can be present during insertion of the tube and stylet combination, following insertion of the combination, and during removal of the suction tube. The presence of a suction at the tip of the combination throughout the insertion stage of the introduction process is problematic from the standpoint that there are times when it is desirable not to have suction during that stage. For instance, when the endotracheal tube and stylet are placed between the vocal cords and into the larynx, there is the danger of damaging the cords and other structures if suction is placed on them and the endotracheal tube and stylet are then advanced or retracted.